Union College's current policies regarding off campus housing are creating situations that force students to sign leases based off of landlord pressure prior to being released off campus. This has created a tremendous issue in which over 30,000 dollars has been put down on housing by students who have yet to be released by the college due to its current policies which neglect many of the realities of the off campus housing process. Over the past few years off campus housing has become incredibly competitive with leases being signed freshmen and sophomore year. Because of this students are often forced to sign or lose a house they are interested in because of the increased demand. This problem has been compounded by the simple reality that the campus has become over crowded in certain areas creating an image of overcrowding. When students arrive on campus they are at times forced into makeshift triples and quads in Davidson and West where rooms are incredibly tight. This has subsequently fostered a desire to get off campus, that has been taken up by many seniors in my class who have decided that part of the college experience should be the ability to live in a real world environment prior to graduation should you so desire. This petition is an invitation to the administration to reexamine an obviously flawed system and allow these seniors the prerogative to enjoy their final year as they desire. Sincerely, Union College Class of 2015 Below is a copied residential life email sent to the current sophomores last spring (5/1/13) highlighting occupancy issues, forced triples, and release for lottery for all students... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Class of 2016, Over the last three years, Union has experienced an increase in our student population and we are working on plans to create more housing accommodations. In the meantime, we have hit a point where our living space has reached capacity and we need to make some changes to our housing options. In order to allow you to potentially make changes to your living arrangements, please note the following: - The housing lottery and selection process, scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, May 2, has been postponed until 5 p.m. next Thursday, May 9, in Memorial Chapel. - We have re-opened the off campus release process, and are willing to release more people off campus. This applies to everyone on campus. - We have designated up to 40 rooms in College Park Hall as triples. Students who select a triple in College Park during the lottery will be given a housing rebate of $1,000 for the academic year or $333 per term, which will be credited to your student account. Groups of three who volunteer to move into a triple will get first choice of the triple rooms in College Park Hall before the sophomore lottery starts. - If space is freed up elsewhere on campus during the summer, or in winter or spring, those who are tripled will get first choice of available housing on a first come, first served basis. Once you move out of the triple, the rebate will no longer be in effect. If you have questions, please visit the Residential Life office, located in 409 Reamer Campus Center. Be sure to create a contingency plan so that if you do not end up in your first choice housing, you will be prepared to live in a College Park Hall triple. We understand that this is an inconvenience, and we will continue to work with you in any away we can. If you have any questions, please talk with your Residence Director, or call our office at (518) 388-6117. Thank you for your attention. Office of Residential Life ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With new ownership of The Little Salmon River Ranch , access to traditional fishing areas have been minimized while opportunity to participate in Idaho's largest salmon run has deteriorated . This resource needs to be protected for future generations of fishermen and the businesses that rely on this resource for the majority of their income .

Rape culture is a significant problem in America, affecting the lives of every woman living here. In the news recently, you can read of the problems the DOJ is having with Missoula County in Montana. Women in every state should feel safe. It is blatant that a rape or sexual assault is a criminal offense motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against women. If our local and state prosecutors refuse to protect us, we should at least have the security that the federal government will step in when these offenders are given a slap on the wrist. The 1994 Violence Against Women Act recognized gender-motivated violence as a hate crime and provided a new federal civil rights remedy, enabling rape victims and battered women to sue their attackers for compensation and punitive damages. But in 2000 the Supreme Court called that provision unconstitutional due to the lack of a "distinction between what is truly national and what is truly local." Twenty-four of 50 states currently include gender as a protected category under hate crime statutes, but few cases have ever been prosecuted. It is time to give women this protection again at the federal level.

In 2010, a Waupaca County Courthouse judge signed an order requiring Susan Reed requiring her to raise her children in a Christian home. Susan Reed and her two children are Muslim and have been forced to practice their beliefs in secret. This is a violation of her and her children's First Amendment rights.

We want to play On-line poker..We want to play at WPT sight,Why does North Dakota,South Dakota, Wisconsin,Iowa.all these states can play on -line poker on WPT sight, but we poker players in Minnesota can't? We need to change this

To get justice for Tony Ford

Since the disastrous Citizens United ruling, billionaires and other special interests are funneling record amounts of money through secretive non-profits, trying to buy our elections. Federal prosecutors even say that a foreign tycoon exploited loopholes to try to rig the outcome. This kind of dangerous secrecy must stop. S.B. 27 will make sure billionaires, foreign tycoons, and other special interests can't hide behind dark money non-profits. It requires any group spending $50,000 in California elections to reveal exactly who gave the money. It's a key step before passage of the California DISCLOSE Act (S.B. 52). Last month, Assemblymember Bigelow voted against an amendment to make S.B. 27 take effect in the November election. The final Assembly vote on S.B. 27 could come any day, and Assemblymember Bigelow needs to hear that constituents don't want him to let dark money hijack democracy!

Since the disastrous Citizens United ruling, billionaires and other special interests are funneling record amounts of money through secretive non-profits, trying to buy our elections. Federal prosecutors even say that a foreign tycoon exploited loopholes to try to rig the outcome. This kind of dangerous secrecy must stop. S.B. 27 will make sure billionaires, foreign tycoons, and other special interests can't hide behind dark money non-profits. It requires any group spending $50,000 in California elections to reveal exactly who gave the money. It's a key step before passage of the California DISCLOSE Act (S.B. 52). Last month, Assemblymember Waldron voted against an amendment to make S.B. 27 take effect in the November election. The final Assembly vote on S.B. 27 could come any day, and Assemblymember Waldron needs to hear that constituents don't want her to let dark money hijack democracy!

Since the disastrous Citizens United ruling, billionaires and other special interests are funneling record amounts of money through secretive non-profits, trying to buy our elections. Federal prosecutors even say that a foreign tycoon exploited loopholes to try to rig the outcome. This kind of dangerous secrecy must stop. S.B. 27 will make sure billionaires, foreign tycoons, and other special interests can't hide behind dark money non-profits. It requires any group spending $50,000 in California elections to reveal exactly who gave the money. It's a key step before passage of the California DISCLOSE Act (S.B. 52). Last month, Assemblymember Dahle voted against an amendment to make S.B. 27 take effect in the November election. The final Assembly vote on S.B. 27 could come any day, and Assemblymember Dahle needs to hear that constituents want him to stop protecting Dark Money!

Residents of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties: Please support your neighbors who want to enjoy nature in Chabot Regional Parks and who live near the parks. They are being assaulted by the sound of gunfire to such an extent that they often cannot enjoy the parks or their homes and yards for hours at a time, especially on weekends. Support them by signing this petition. The lease of Chabot Gun Club to operate within Anthony Chabot Regional Park expires this year. The use of the park for environmental education and experiencing nature has expanded by leaps and bounds in the last many years, as has the number of neighbors near the park boundaries. While the gun range is a valuable resource for the law enforcement personnel and private gun owners who practice there, that use is basically and essentially inconsistent with the mission of urban-area parks such as the Chabot Regional Parks. Since over 95% of the users of the parks want an experience of the natural world, free of the explosive intrusion of gunshots, if a gun range is to continue to be operated in the park after the current lease expires, it must be under stringent restrictions on the noise levels and days and hours of operation. Any Request for Proposals for operation of a gun range in the park after the current lease expires must include conditions of use with specific limits on the decibel level of gunfire noise at designated points on certain hiking trails in the park and at stated points on the park boundary where it borders residential neighborhoods. The California Vehicle Code’s limits on vehicle noise may provide a starting place for developing the standards of tolerable noise levels, which certainly should be much lower in the heart of a large regional park than is allowed in our cities. If continued operation of a gun range is contemplated, a committee of park users and neighbors is willing to work with the Park District’s staff to develop the exact noise levels which may not be exceeded, the location of the designated points for noise measurement, the days and hours of operation, and the time line for implementation of noise mitigation.

My son has Cerebral Palsy and Autism, he has been mistreated in three different schools. I have met with over 267 parents who has experienced worse or similar situations. We must be the voice for children that cant speak and the ears for the children that can't hear. It will not only assist parents in knowing what goes on daily, it will be a great documenting tool to protect the instructor. ..It's a win win. Please help me ..and every parent that unfortunately, felt the pain of our innocent child in a unpleasant environment.

Frac sand mining and processing cause long-term economic and environmental destruction. To prevent this imminent danger we must act now to protect the health and integrity of our community. For more information, please go to: CommunityRightsAlliance.org Say NO to FRAC SAND MINING.